PADI Women’s Dive Day was created to celebrate female divers and encourage more women to join our sport. The first PADI Women’s Dive Day was held in 2015, and by the second year, it had doubled in participation. This year, on 19 July, thousands of divers from around the world will seek out PADI Women’s Dive Day events (and bring their friends) to share their love of the underwater world and a collective passion for diving. If you’re still not convinced you should join, below are four reasons to take part in a PADI Women’s Dive Day event.
1. Marketing Opportunities
When you host a PADI Women’s Dive Day event, remember to take photos and encourage PADI Women’s Dive Day participants to tag their photos with #PADIWomen for a chance to be featured on PADI’s social channels. This is a great marketing opportunity!
After your event, send a quick thank you email to staff, customers, and all the event participants. A quick “thanks for supporting women in diving” is great, but feel free to keep the momentum going. Ask, “Who wants to do this again next month?”
2. Attract New Customers
Women represent half of the global population but only earn 40% of scuba certifications issued worldwide.
When you stop to think about it, the “average” female consumer is an ideal scuba diving customer.
- Women are the decision makers for 85 percent of household purchases – everything from autos to health care – and have $125 billion US annual spending power (source: Forbes).
- 64% of travelers worldwide are female and 80% of all travel decisions are made by women. 75% of those who take adventure, cultural, or nature trips are women, according to Condor Ferries.
- 92% of women share information about deals and recommendations with others. (Source: Mindshare and Ogilvy & Mather).
Through Women’s Dive Day, you can expand your customer base – not just with women, but their families too. Your Women’s Dive Day event might include a Bubblemaker pool party or a Discover Scuba Diving experience at the beach.
In addition to the business reasons for bringing more women into our sport, there’s the priceless opportunity to change lives. Help a woman discover her inner mermaid, or inspire the next great ocean explorer, like Sylvia Earle.
3. Bring Inactive Divers Back to Scuba Diving
Women are also more likely than men to drop out of diving. Use Women’s Dive Day as a reason to invite past customers to rekindle their passion for the underwater world and refresh their scuba skills. Offer a special on ReActivate™, or a PADI continuing education course.
Some PADI Dive Centers have found success offering child care options; consider partnering with a child care service or hiring a babysitter. Give parents a chance to go diving together, or help Mom take a breather (off a regulator) while she does a scuba review.
4. Explore New Revenue Opportunities
Ask your female divers (informally or via a short survey) how your business could help them enjoy diving more often. Make the question open-ended, but feel free to include ideas such as dive gear designed for women, youth programs, and women-only events.
How to Participate in PADI Women’s Dive Day
Ready to maximize the potential of PADI Women’s Dive Day? Here are some suggestions for how to get involved.
Plan an Event for 19 July 2025
Check out some of our favorite ideas we’ve seen, and find inspiration from previous PADI Women’s Dive Day events or our social media channels.
- High Tea on the High Seas
- All-Girls Boat Charter
- Girls Night Out (night dive)
- Women-Only Discover Scuba
- MerMaids Beach and Underwater Cleanup
- Bring in a scuba diving celebrity such as international heart-throb and PADI Diver Ryan Reynolds
…or at least his stand-in.
PADI Dive Centers and Resorts can post their event to the PADI Women’s Dive Day event locator for maximum exposure. To get started, click here to register your event.
Offer a Special Throughout July
There’s no reason to limit your activities to a single day. PADI Women’s Dive Day can be celebrated all month long.
- Offer an incentive for women to try scuba or get certified during the month of July.
- Host a social activity, such as a wine tasting, and invite current customers to bring a female friend who isn’t a diver.
- Partner with a local nonprofit that benefits women. Offer to donate $1 for every new ‘Like’ you receive on social media from 1-31 July, or offer a special discount to those who donate to the charity during the month of July.
Help Women Feel Welcome
In your store: Bring in gear, prizes, and other items that appeal to female divers. Consider re-arranging the store to make it more stroller and child-friendly.
On social media: Celebrate female divers! Share pics of female divers – staff or people from your dive club – and the stories of women featured on PADI’s blog. Promote your PADI Women’s Dive Day event using #PADIWomen and #PADIWomensDiveDay on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram.
On your website: Showcase the equipment you carry for female divers, ideally with reviews by your female staff. Promote your PADI Women’s Dive Day specials and events. Visit the PADI Pros’ Site Women in Diving page to download customizable PADI Women’s Dive Day marketing materials.
We celebrated the first PADI Women’s Dive Day in 2015 with 335 events. The following year, PADI Women’s Dive Day participation more than doubled, with 700 events in more than 70 countries. What’s on tap for women and diving in 2025? That’s up to you.
